Sock Puppets or Aliens?
by Rotem Shahar
Summary: Where do those socks really go?


Title: Sock Puppets or Aliens?  
  
Author: Rotem Shahar and Cathey Scully  
  
Feedback: Yes, please! Let us know what you thought! Rotem Shahar (LaughsR@prodigy.net) Cathey Scully (CatheyScully@the-pentagon.com)  
  
Category: X, H, R  
  
Keywords: MSR, AU  
  
Spoilers: General season 8.  
  
Rating: PG.13?.for cursing.if Damn it is considered cursing.and its only used twice.  
  
Summary: Where do those socks really go?  
  
Fic Notes: Scully isn't pregnant, Mulder isn't abducted, and Scully and Doggett know each other from college and he is not a FBI agent.  
  
Authors Notes: Thanks to everyone in the chat room and our aliens vs. sock puppets conversation, we decided to write this fic! Make sure that everyone that was in there gets to read this!J And thanks to Lexa for betaing!  
  
Archive: Any list this is sent to is welcome to archive it on the list sites. If it is a personal site, please ask first. We'll say yes! We promiseJ . It's just so we know where it's going and all. Ok? Thanks!  
  
Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully and Doggett do not belong to us, they belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions and FOX. We are not making any money off of this story and no infringement is intended.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
FBI Parking Garage  
  
7:34 am  
  
Mulder hopped out of his car and dashed through the building. He stopped at the elevator, impatiently punching at the down button. After waiting a few seconds he decided to take the stairs. He flew down them four at a time.   
  
He had told her that he couldn't stay over last night since they had a long day tomorrow. "Meet me in the office at seven sharp" he had told her. It was now 7:51 am; he was running late. Very late.   
  
Mulder reached the office and opened the door, weary of objects that may be hurdled in his direction. When nothing hit the door, he entered the office to find that Scully wasn't there.  
  
He started to panic. He searched the room thoroughly, checking under the desks and behind the stacks of papers. He had just picked up the phone to call her cell phone, when he heard "It's about time you got here" coming from a pissed Scully standing at the doorway. As he whirled around he dropped the phone onto the desk. "Where were you? Why weren't you in here?" Mulder yelled.  
  
"Does it matter?" Scully asked angrily, "I've been trying to figure out where you were! Your cell phone is off and you weren't home." As a second thought she added "And why are you mad? I'm not the one who's an hour late for a meeting I set!"   
  
"I'm sorry," Mulder said as he approached Scully. He took her hands in his and said "I was worried when I didn't see you here. As you said, I'm an hour late and I expected you to be in there when I got here."  
  
"And you think I wasn't worried when you didn't show up at seven?" Scully was dumfounded. Didn't he realize that she cared about him?  
  
Just as she was about to speak, Mulder dropped her hands and brought her attention to the case. He handed her the file and she started to read. After reading the first three and a half lines, she said "Mulder, are you kidding me? You can't be serious!"  
  
"Reports are rising Scully. More and more are disappearing and we have to figure out why. We have to try to stop this Scully." Mulder paused and Scully interjected "Why Mulder? Why is this so important? And did Skinner actually approved this?"  
  
"This is becoming more and more common Scully. The aliens have actively started exploring the earth. They've started investigating the human culture, and we have to stop them before they realize how simple we are in comparison to them! Don't you see? It's the beginning of colonization!"  
  
"Mulder, for all we know they were turned into sock puppets for a child's school presentation. You have no proof to back up your theory! How can you expect me to accept anything without the proof to back it up?"  
  
"It was the aliens Scully! I'm telling you! You have to believe me."  
  
"You know I want to Mulder, but I cant. Not without proof."  
  
"You don't even try to accept my theories" Mulder said dejectedly.   
  
"I do Mulder. I really do." Scully paused. "Just not when the topic in question is 'where did the socks go'" Mulder nodded.   
  
"Let's get going," said Mulder.  
  
"Under one condition" Scully said, "I drive." She held up a hand.  
  
"Listen Mulder, you were late, we're investigating something that I know can be easily explained. I missed my morning coffee because of our morning meeting that you were late for, and I worried about you. All in all, I'm driving. I've earned it."  
  
"Fine." Mulder hung his head again. Scully reached out and squeezed his bicep comfortingly.  
  
"Hey, don't pout." Scully told him.  
  
"I'm sorry for making you worry Scully. I overslept because I was up most of the night."  
  
"Why were you up all night Mulder?" Scully asked as they got onto the elevator. Mulder yawned widely and his words were caught in there. Scully lifted her eyebrow as she heard something that interested her. "What exactly was that Mulder?"  
  
"Why were you up all night Mulder?" Scully asked as they got onto the elevator. Mulder yawned widely and his words were caught in there. Scully lifted her eyebrow as she heard something that interested her. "What exactly was that Mulder?"  
  
"Um. I couldn't sleep because of." Mulder conveniently yawned again. It was fake and Scully poked him in the ribs.  
  
"No more yawning Mulder. I want to hear what you said. You couldn't sleep because of."  
  
"You." Scully's eyebrow shot up even higher. She stared at him in disbelief.  
  
"You couldn't sleep, because of me." Scully stated slowly. The elevator came to a halt and the door opened. Scully motioned for Mulder to exit in front of her. He walked out and waited for Scully to catch up with her. They walked out to the car, wanting the privacy so that they could talk.  
  
Once they'd settled into the car, with Scully in the driver's seat, and Mulder slightly cowering in the passenger seat, Scully started the engine and turned to Mulder. He was fiddling with the radio, something that he only did when he was nervous. Without speaking, Scully reached over and pulled his hand away from the radio.  
  
"Mulder, what did you mean by you couldn't sleep because of me?" Scully ran her fingertips over Mulder's knuckles. They were red and seemed to be raw. Scully didn't think twice about smoothing her lips over Mulder's flesh.  
  
"Scully, forget I said anything."  
  
"No. I want to know."  
  
"Scully. It's not something that we should get into."  
  
"Why not?" Scully asked defiantly.  
  
"Oh Scully. Cause things will get even more complicated." Scully turned Mulder to face her. She gently rubbed his cheek where he'd cut himself shaving. The changes in their relationship were so new, and they hadn't exactly discussed a lot of it.  
  
"What's wrong with complicated? Aren't our lives already complicated?" Scully whispered. Mulder nodded.  
  
"That's why it doesn't matter." He spoke vehemently  
  
"Yes it does Mulder. It's bothering you, it matters to me."  
  
"Can we talk about this later? The more time we spend sitting here, the more innocent socks are disappearing." Scully took her hand away, slightly hurt by Mulder's brush off.  
  
They lapsed into silence; with only the radio playing softly for the remainder of the trip, switching off drivers every few hours so the other could sleep.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Chapman Residence  
  
Miami, Florida  
  
6:54am  
  
They had driven all night and all day, taking turns at the wheel while the other slept. Driving for three days, only stopping for food and bathroom breaks, made them very happy when they saw the address they were looking for: 1211 SW 3101 Street.  
  
As they approached the two-story house, they heard yelling and shouting coming from the inside, as well as feeling the ground vibrate from the loud music blasting.  
  
"How can they play this music so early in the morning? Don't their neighbors complain?" Scully asked Mulder.  
  
"It's a conspiracy. This family has such control over their neighborhood that their neighbors are afraid of them, afraid to do something to make them mad, fearing what will be unleashed upon them if they do." Mulder paused to think for a moment. "This must also be how the aliens chose their socks as the targets! They wanted to investigate the family with power of the neighborhood."  
  
"Mulder, there's still absolutely no proof of alien involvement! I'm telling you, sock puppets."  
  
"Your wrong Scully, and the sooner you accept that the less painful it will be for you."  
  
"Oh, just give it up Mulder." Scully said as she rang the doorbell. Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo was heard throughout the house. Mulder and Scully shared a look of fear.   
  
A semi-curly brown-haired, bluish-green eyed girl opened the door. She had a hairbrush stuck in her hair, and a toothbrush in her mouth. She was wearing a black tank top, with Linkin Park written in white letters across it, and dark blue flare jeans. She gestured for them to come in, since she obviously couldn't speak. She continued to brush her teeth as she led the two agents into the living room, gestured for them to sit down, and then ran into a different room.  
  
The noise of the house surrounded them. "That's my sock!!" they heard. "No, it's my sock!" "Nuh-uh." "ya-ha." And back and forth the argument went. "I'm gonna tell mom on both of you if you don't shut up NOW!" yelled another voice, and all was quiet. Only then did they notice that that TV was on. They turned to face it saw, oddly enough, it was turned on to Sesame Street, and Snuffy and Elmo were talking to each other.   
  
A few minutes later, Mrs. Chapman came out to greet them. They rose; "Hi we're agents Scully and Mulder from the FBI" Scully told her.   
  
"What can we do for you?" Mrs. Chapman asked.  
  
"We're here because of your reports about disappearing socks." Mulder stated. "Can you please tell us exactly what's going on?"  
  
"Well, I'm kind of busy right now. It is a school day and I have to take my daughters to school. But if you could come back at about three thirty this afternoon I should be free and have time to talk to you." She said as she pushed them out the door.   
  
"Rotem, Cathey, Jay, AJ, Lets go! We have to leave NOW if you want to get to school on time!" they heard from outside the house. They watched the house tremble as four girls rushed out of the house and piled into the mini-van and drive away.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Gregory Residence  
  
7:24 a.m.  
  
After leaving the Chapman house they decided that questioning the neighbors would be helpful.  
  
They started next door and worked their way around the neighborhood.  
  
The door opened and an old woman of sixty stepped outside.  
  
"Can I help you?" She asked in a clipped manner.  
  
"We're Agents Mulder and Scully with the FBI" Mulder said, holding out his badge for her to see.   
  
"Good morning, my name is Holly Gregory. What can I do for you?"  
  
"We're investigating sock disappearances in the area and would like to know about your experiences."  
  
"Everyone's socks disappear, agent. There's nothing to say. You put them in the washing machine and they don't come out. One by one they disappear. That's all there is to it. Nothing more." She replied in an annoyed tone. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to making breakfast." She slammed the door.  
  
Scully looked at Mulder; he shrugged and they moved onto the next house.  
  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Klebba Residence  
  
7:39 a.m.  
  
"Liz Klebba." Scully stated. "Not a safe thing to have written on your door."  
  
"Just makes it easier for them to find you." Mulder agreed, half-jokingly.  
  
They knocked on the door and waited. And waited. And waited some more. They got tired of waiting so they left, deciding to just forget it and move on to the next house.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
It was noon. They were both tired from walking around the neighborhood. Deciding to check into the hotel, take a nap, and then grab a quick lunch before heading back to the Chapman's house, they got in the car and drove off.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Chapman Residence  
  
3:47pm  
  
It was raining. The water cascaded down the roof and onto the brown, dying grass, which was in need of water. The drought in Florida looked as though it was about to end. It had been raining since they had left this house earlier today.  
  
They ran from the car to the house, with their coats over their heads, trying to protect themselves from the rain. They knocked on the door and waited. "Door!" Cathey yelled from the living room, not wanting to leave the TV. Rotem was so enraptured by the TV show that she hadn't even heard anyone knocking. AJ peered through the peephole cautiously, hoping it wasn't some psycho killer or one of her school friends. Relieved that it wasn't either, she opened the door.   
  
"Hi, we're agents Mulder and Scully with the FBI and-"  
  
"Mom! It's for you!" AJ yelled, cutting him off and going back inside.  
  
"I'm done!" Jay yelled out ecstatically. "No more homework!" She continued to yell as she made her way down the stairs and into the living room where Cathey and Rotem were still watching TV. "Did-" Jay started saying when she was cut off by "Shhh!!" from both Rotem and Cathey. Jay rolled her eyes and went to bother AJ.   
  
Mulder and Scully watched this scene curiously, wondering how these four sisters were able to get along so well and not fight. Mrs. Chapman finally appeared at the door and invited them in. They followed her into the living room.  
  
"Agents Scully and Mulder, these are my daughters, Rotem, Ro for short" she said as she pointed to the girl who had answered the door earlier this morning. Mrs. Chapman pointed to a petite girl who was about an inch shorter than Scully. She had dirty blonde hair with red highlights and green eyes. She was dressed in a green "make 7 up yours" tee shirt, and faded blue flare jeans. She was holding a soccer ball in her lap. "This is Cathey."   
  
"AJ, Jay, get over here!" She yelled, and they came running into the living room. "And this is Jay and AJ" she said, pointing first to tall, blue eyed, red headed girl wearing jeans and a blue sweater, and then to a girl with long brown hair with purple tips, hazel eyes, dressed in jeans and a purple sweater. "Girls, these are Agents Mulder and Scully from the FBI, and they're here to investigate our socks" she said in all seriousness.  
  
"All right." AJ said in disbelief and "Whatever you say mom" Jay retorted as Cathey and Ro shared a look of confusion.  
  
"Girls, go to your rooms, I have to talk to Agents Scully and Mulder now."  
  
"Ok." Ro replied, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"Sure" Cathey said as she clicked off the TV. She put the ball down and the four of them ran up the stairs. A few seconds later music was heard coming from their rooms.  
  
"OK, lets get down to business." Mrs. Chapman said. "What exactly do you want to know?"  
  
"What do you do for a living?" Scully asked.  
  
"Well, I work out of the house so I can work at my own pace and on my own time. I work for a book company and I run their online store. At the moment, we just got in a new shipment of books, and it's my job to update the store with the new titles, prices, and descriptions."   
  
"Well Ma'am, we'd like to know if any of your socks have mysteriously disappeared in the last six to eight months." Mulder was the first to speak. Scully covered her eyes in frustration at her partner's strange question.  
  
"Of course our socks have disappeared in the last eight months." Mrs. Chapman looked at Mulder like he was a slow learner. "I have four daughters. Everything is always disappearing with them."  
  
"If you don't mind my asking Mrs. Chapman are your daughters involved in anything that could be considered illegal?" Scully broke in.  
  
"How could you ask such a thing? My daughters are good girls."  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate anything" Scully replied.  
  
"They're very dedicated to their studies." Mrs. Chapman continued.  
  
"If you don't mind my asking, where is their father? Could he be involved in the sock abductions?" Mulder asked.  
  
"He died twelve years ago when Cathey was only a baby."  
  
"I'm sorry for your loss." Scully sympathetically said.  
  
"No need to be sorry, it was a long time ago." Mrs. Chapman assured her.  
  
"Can we question your daughters individually about the disappearances?" asked Mulder, wanting to continue the investigation.  
  
"Sure. I don't see any problems with that."   
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Chapman Residence  
  
4:13pm  
  
Scully and Mulder asked to speak with AJ first. The three of them went into the kitchen and sat down.  
  
"Okay, lets start with the basics." Scully said.  
  
"How old are you?" asked Mulder.  
  
"Eighteen" She replied.  
  
"How are your grades in school?" Mulder questioned. Scully chimed in with "What type of clubs are you in?"  
  
"I'm doing pretty well in school, mostly A's and B's, except for one C, but that was cause I was absent from class a lot. I'm in a bunch of clubs, like FEA, Future Educators of America, FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honors Society, which is a was of time in my opinion, I don't know why I'm still in that." AJ rambled on.  
  
"Oh! Anyway, more clubs, let me think.I'm also in the drama club and we put on shows for the school, our most recent one was Romeo and Juliet, I was Juliet!" she exclaimed with pride. "And I'm also on the Yearbook staff. I also work at a bookstore just around the corner."  
  
"Wow, that must be a lot of work."  
  
"It is, but I enjoy it so it's not a problem. Except for National Honor Society.I really should quit that."  
  
"And am I to understand that you have been having problems with disappearing socks?" Mulder asked, to get the investigation moving. He was anxious to complete this case.   
  
"Well, yea, but doesn't everyone?"   
  
"No, only some people's socks disappear. That's why we're investigating. In this neighborhood, it appears that socks are disappearing, so we've come to see why."  
  
"And how am I supposed to help?" AJ asked, not wanting to be bothered by this silly string of questioning.  
  
"Do you know where they went?" Scully blatantly asked, getting to the root of all this questioning.  
  
"No idea. If I knew where the socks went, neither of you would be here would you?" AJ rudely asked. She had plenty of homework to do and couldn't spare too much more time trying to find lost socks. Not to mention the fact that she had to get to work soon. They could always go buy more.  
  
"Do you have any ideas or theories as to where the socks disappeared to?" Mulder asked, hoping to get something out of her.  
  
"No idea." She replied. "Is that all? I have a lot of homework to do tonight plus work."  
  
"Yea, that's all. Thanks for answering our questions." Scully told her. "Oh, and could you send in another one of your sisters so we can talk to her?"  
  
"Sure" AJ replied sweetly, glad to be done with the crazy pair of agents.  
  
  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Chapman Kitchen  
  
4:31pm  
  
Ro waltzed into the kitchen with headphones on her ears. "This is one of my faaayyvorite songs!" She exclaimed, acting more childish than she really was. Mulder and Scully shared an amused look as Ro danced around the kitchen.  
  
"Ok, the song is over. What do wanna know?" she asked, pushing stop on her disk man, taking off the headphones, and placing it all on the kitchen table.  
  
"Lets start with asking what song was that?" Scully asked.  
  
"Well, I love Linkin Park, but you could tell that by my shirt, so anything by them would fall under that category, but the song I was listening to is called By Myself. Its track number seven on their c.d. You wanna listen?" Ro asked as she held out the headphones to Scully.  
  
"No thanks. Maybe later."  
  
"How old are you?" Mulder asked.  
  
"Sixteen. But I'll be seventeen in less than a month."  
  
"How are you doing in school and what clubs are you in?" Scully asked.  
  
"Well, I'm actually doing pretty well considering that I'm taking mostly AP classes. I'm half A's and half B's. Clubs, lets see, I'm in the Ecology Club and SECME, which stands for Science Engineering Communications and Math Enrichment, or something like that. I'm also in Mu Alpha Theta, the math honor society which is the only one that I've tried being in that actually does something, and I really like playing football, so I'd have joined the football team but its just too much emphasis on sports. All those practices just take the fun out of it."  
  
"Do-" Mulder started asking but Rotem cut him off.  
  
"Oh! I also take two night school college credit classes. Sorry, what were you about to ask?"  
  
"Do you know where the socks that have been disappearing from your house are? Any clues? Ideas? Theories? Anything would be helpful at this point." Mulder stated.  
  
"Aliens, like in those Hanes commercials with the one-legged aliens, which also explains why they only take one sock instead of both of them. I like that explanation the best." Ro seriously stated.  
  
As Mulder hears this, his face lights up and mouths 'I told you so' to Scully.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Scully implored as she rolled her eyes at Mulder.   
  
"Well, I cant really think of anything else that would explain it, besides an evil washing machine creature that wants everyone to walk around barefoot, but I think aliens seem more likely than that."  
  
"That's all for now, thanks for your time." Mulder told her.   
  
"Can you send in one of your sisters please?"  
  
"Sure thing!" Ro replied chipperly.  
  
"CATHEY!! Get in here! They wanna talk to you!" Ro yelled.  
  
"I'm coming!" Cathey yelled back.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Chapman Kitchen  
  
4:58pm  
  
Cathey rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. She had been outside playing soccer with Jay until Ro had called her into the house. Cathey grabbed some paper towels and wiped off her sweaty face. She threw the napkins away while finishing the water. She then sat down and caught her breath.  
  
"All right. I'm ready." She finally stated.  
  
"Cathey, how old are you?"  
  
"Fourteen."  
  
"How are you doing in school? What clubs are you in?"  
  
"I've gotten straight A's, and I'm on the soccer team, in chorus, the beta club, which is a community service club, and I take ballet. Ballet and soccer take up most of my time, or else I'd be in more school clubs."  
  
As she finished talking she felt something trickling down her lips. Scully paled and Mulder squeezed her hand to give her comfort. Cathey put her fingers to her nose silently hoping *not again*. Calmly she got up and walked over to the sink. She turned the hot water on and got out the paper napkins. Removing her fingers, she washed them and then proceeded to wet the napkins and clear her face of the blood.  
  
"Sorry about that" She says after she's cleaned herself up.   
  
As Scully was about to question her, they heard "DAMNIT! Where'd my sock go?! I need my sock! I'm going to be late for work as it is, I really don't need this keeping me any longer." AJ stalked down the stairs in one green sock and one orange sock and left for work.  
  
"Are you ok?" Scully asks, as soon as the yelling subsided.  
  
"Yea, I'm fine, that just happens sometimes because of my asthma and the dryness of the air. It's no big deal." Cathey shrugged.  
  
Mulder looked at Scully. She shook her head. They'd talk about it later.  
  
"Which of your sisters would you say that you're the closest to?" Scully asked. Cathey looked at her strangely before answering.  
  
"Well, I'm really close with all my sisters cause we have to stick together, you know? But, AJ is always working or studying, so we don't get to spend as much time together as before, and Jay kind of has her own friends, but we still hang out. So I guess Ro and me would have to be the closet. It's cool, because we have most of the same interests."  
  
"Do you have any inkling of an idea of where your socks are disappearing to?" Mulder suddenly asked, wanting to get through with the questioning and go to dinner, he was starving.  
  
"Well, I don't know where all of them go, but I know that we use socks for our projects sometimes, making sock puppets for presentations. And when we get bored we take socks and make stuff out of them so I guess that's where some of them end up." Cathey answered.  
  
It was Scully's turn to mouth 'I told you so."  
  
"Thank you very much Cathey, you've been extremely helpful." Scully told her. "Can you send in your sister so we can question her?"  
  
"Okidokie!" she replied nonchalantly.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Chapman Kitchen  
  
5:42 p.m.  
  
Jay strolled into the kitchen and took a seat. She was slightly out of breath and sweaty so Scully handed her a clean napkin that Cathey had left out on the counter.  
  
"Thanks." Jay said as she wiped her face. "All right, Cathey said you wanted to ask me some questions."  
  
"Yes, she did. How old are you Jay?"  
  
"I'm fifteen."  
  
"How do you do in school? What are you involved in?"  
  
"I mostly get A's and B's. I'm on the track team; my best events are cross-country and one hundred meters. I've gotten first place in both. Twice. I spend most of my time training for track and karate, so I'm not in a lot of clubs. The ones I am in are the Math honors with Ro, and I'm in the beta club with Cathey."  
  
"You just heard AJ talk about her socks disappearing, do you have any ideas where they go?" Mulder jumped in again.  
  
"Not really. I thought the washing machine or something just ate them all." Jay shrugs. "I don't really give it much thought, after all, Wal-Mart isn't more than ten minutes away."  
  
"Oh." Mulder's shoulders sunk. Scully reached over to rub his back comfortingly. "Thank you Jay. That's all the questions we have for you. Thank you for your time."  
  
"No problem. I have a diorama to go make now anyway. Can I show you out?"  
  
"No thank you. I'd like to speak to your mom before we go." Mulder smiled briefly at Jay. Jay ran into the other room and soon, Mulder and Scully hear giggles and Scully rolls her eyes.  
  
"They're talking about you Mulder. You do know that don't you?"  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Chapman Residence  
  
6:13 p.m.  
  
They waited for the giggles to subside before walking into the living room. As the girls left the room they approached Mrs. Chapman.   
  
"Thank you for your time Mrs. Chapman. We will continue our investigation to the best of our abilities." Mulder told her.  
  
"It wasn't a problem. I just hope you find out where our socks are going. It might not seem like a lot of money, but when you have to buy each person new pairs of socks every month, it all adds up."  
  
"Just one more thing I'd like to ask you before we go." Scully said, suddenly getting an idea.  
  
"Sure, what is it?"  
  
"Can we take a few of the socks that are missing pairs for analysis?" She requests. Mulder gave her a strange look and she shrugged.   
  
"Sure, I'll be right back." Mrs. Chapman left the room to get some of the socks that are missing pairs.  
  
"Just a hunch." She stated.  
  
She came back a few minutes later with five socks, one from each person in the household. "I hope this helps." She sincerely told them.  
  
"I hope so too." Scully stated as they headed towards the door.  
  
"Thanks again."  
  
"If you think of anything let us know." Mulder said, giving her their business cards.  
  
"I will." Mrs. Chapman replied, closing the door behind them.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
After leaving the Chapman's Mulder had driven Scully by the lab to drop off the socks. and then back to the motel to change into nicer clothes for dinner. He then drove them to the restaurant.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
At the restaurant  
  
7:03 p.m.  
  
"Mulder, I nearly got laughed out the lab because of this case." Scully speared some salad onto her fork and takes a bite before she continued. "But I do have a hunch."  
  
Mulder grinned across the candlelit table at Scully. This restaurant was fancier than the ones they normally went to while on cases, but Mulder had read an ad for it in the paper and immediately thought to bring Scully there.  
  
"Okay Scully. I've shared my theory with you, you share yours."  
  
"Well, one of my theories is about why you took this case Mulder." Scully looked at Mulder with a curious stare. Mulder's hand had made its way over to grasp Scully's. His thumb rubs over Scully's knuckles.  
  
"And what would that be Scully? Cause I know that you think I have an ulterior motive."  
  
"And what would that be Scully? Cause I know that you think I have an ulterior motive."  
  
"Maybe it's just your guilty conscience Mulder." Scully smirked at Mulder. Mulder stuck his tongue out at her. "Careful Mulder, you might need that for later."  
  
"Oh really, do feel free to inform me of what for Scully." Mulder grinned over at Scully and she blushed. She opened her mouth to say something else when their waiter interrupted by walking up with their food. Scully hastily let go of Mulder's hand to receive her main course. Mulder glares at the young man and he scurried away once he made sure everything is all right with the dishes. Scully laughed softly.  
  
"Mulder, you scared that poor guy. He had to give us our food. It's not like I'm going anywhere." Scully's hand found Mulder's again and she squeezed it tightly.  
  
"He was looking down your shirt." Mulder told her seriously. "Nobody looks down your shirt,"   
  
"Except for you." Scully finished with a smirk. "So seriously Mulder, why are we on this case?" Mulder lowered his head.  
  
"Cause I wanted for us to be able to spend some time together away from Washington. So it could just be us." Scully smiled.  
  
"So it has nothing to do with finding these people's socks?"  
  
"Well, there is that too." They smiled at eat other and finished eating with Scully still holding Mulder's hand.  
  
Scully and Mulder made idle chatter and exchanged numerous innuendoes and soon, Mulder was requesting the check. Mulder dished out a small sum for dinner and led Scully out to the car, surprising her by asking if she wanted to drive. After Scully refused, Mulder and Scully climbed into the car and Mulder drove them back to the motel. Mulder walked Scully to the door of her room.  
  
"Did you like dinner Scully?" Mulder asked, as he brushed a strand of Scully's hair behind her ear.  
  
"It was good, delicious even. Mulder, it must have cost at least a good portion of the rent for one of our apartments."  
  
"It's okay Scully. It felt nice to treat you to something for a change. And you must admit, it was better than burgers and fries."  
  
"Yes, it was much better than burgers and fries. Thank you Mulder."  
  
"No problem Scully. Good night." Mulder bent and brushed a soft kiss over Scully's lips. "I'll see you in the morning." Mulder turned to walk away when Scully grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. She says one word.  
  
"Stay."  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
The Next Day  
  
8:45 a.m.  
  
The shrill buzzing of the alarm clock awakened Scully and Mulder. Scully rolled out of Mulder's embrace to silence the noise. She audibly sighed as she sat up, wiping the sleep away from her eyes. Mulder sat up in back of her and wrapped his arms around her bare stomach.   
  
"Don't be a party pooper Scully. Go back to sleep." Mulder said, still half-sleeping.  
  
"Sorry Mulder, I told them I'd be in the lab by nine thirty at the latest to get the results of the tests I had them run." She told him as she gathered her clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.  
  
Mulder flopped back onto the bed and sighed in frustration. He rolled out of the bed and went into his room to shower and change.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Scully's Room  
  
9:02 a.m.  
  
Mulder re-entered her room and sat back down on the bed as he waited for her to finish in the bathroom.   
  
He didn't have to wait long. Within minutes she was out, putting on her shoes and gathering her purse and overcoat. She walks over to the bed and sits down, kissing Mulder's jaw in the process. She lays her head on his shoulder. Mulder put his arm around her shoulders and pulled them both down so they were laying on the bed.  
  
Ten minutes later Scully awoke in panic. Neither of them had meant to fall asleep again, and they were now pressed for time. Scully shook Mulder awake and they hurried into the car. They both knew that it would not make a good impression if they were late to pick up the test results.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Lab  
  
9:14 a.m.  
  
John Doggett walked briskly towards the front desk of the laboratory. His shift had started and he was running late. He clocked in and took his position at the front desk. He had just started this job recently but due to a recent position opening; he was expecting a promotion sometime soon. He had just started organizing the files on his desk when the two FBI agents walked in.   
  
"Good morning. How may I help you?" He asked in his prominent New York accent.   
  
"Yes, I dropped some socks off here yesterday to have some tests run. I was told that the results would be in this morning."  
  
'You have to be kidding me' Doggett thought. 'Socks?'  
  
"Sure, can I have your name please?"  
  
"Dana Scully" she told him holding out her FBI badge.  
  
'Dana Scully.why do I recognize that name.where do I know her from.' he wondered as he searched for her sock file.  
  
Mulder and Scully waited patiently for him to retrieve the file.  
  
After looking through all the files three times, he returned and said, "I'm sorry. The results don't seem to have come in yet. Would you like me to go check to see if they're almost ready?"  
  
"Thanks." Scully told him "We're a bit early so it's not a big deal."  
  
Scully and Mulder took a seat in the corner of the room in two of the plastic chairs that were lined up against the wall.   
  
"So, while we wait, explain to me your theory." Mulder implored.  
  
"I want to see if it's right first. If not then there's no reason to even bother explaining it Mulder. It'll save me the trouble. We're already here, you can wait a few more minutes until I get the results and can either prove or disprove my theory." Scully rationally explained.  
  
John Doggett returned. "They're almost done running the tests and printing the results. The file should be ready within fifteen minutes."  
  
"Thank you" Scully replied.  
  
Doggett turned t go back to his desk, stopped, and turned back to face Scully again. "You didn't by any chance go to Georgetown, did you?"  
  
"Yes, I did, why?" she asked him suspiciously. A few seconds later realization dawned on her. "John?"  
  
They hugged as she said, "It's so good to see you again! How've you been?"  
  
"I've been good. I just moved down here a month ago, so I'm still settling in. I really like it here. How about you, Miss FBI?" He teasingly replied. "Seriously, when'd you join the FBI? Last I heard you were going to be a doctor."  
  
"Yea, well, that didn't happen. I was recruited by the FBI and decided I'd rather be enforcing the law than operating on people who weren't protected by it. I like my job. It's very interesting. You wouldn't believe some of the cases we've been on." Her eyes flicked towards Mulder to catch his reaction.  
  
"Like this sock thing?" He teased. "Who's we?"  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry. Mulder, this is my friend from college, John Doggett, John, this is my partner, Mulder."  
  
"Nice to meet you." John sincerely stated.  
  
"Likewise." replied a thin-lipped Mulder. He didn't like the way they acted with each other. The way they joked around. The way he looked at her. The way she had practically forgotten he was there when she had started talking to him. He tried to keep himself from being bitter towards the man he had just met, but wasn't very successful. "So, how'd you come across this job as a receptionist?" Mulder asked haughtily. Scully shot him her 'play nice' look.  
  
"It was the only job opening available in this field that could lead me to the career I want. I want to actually work in the lab and perform all the tests, but you have to work your way up from here, which is exactly what I plan on doing." John calmly explained.  
  
"Why did you move?" Scully interjected, before Mulder could ask another question.  
  
"Well, there were many different reasons. The main one is that I didn't like the new management in the lab in New York so I asked for a transfer."  
  
"And the other reasons." Scully said, curious to know what had prompted his move.  
  
"Well, I like the weather down here a lot better than the New York weather, its easier to breathe down here, and I just needed a change in scenery." He told her.  
  
Scully let it slide, even though she knew he was lying. She'd ask him about it later.   
  
"What exactly do you do for the FBI? Besides investigate socks and all, of course." He teased. He just wouldn't let that go. It was too amusing to let her live down.  
  
"Well, we, Mulder and I, investigate paranormal cases, ones without obvious solutions, and yes, in this case, socks." She said pseudo-angrily.   
  
Mulder realized he'd been cut out of the conversation and sat back down in the uncomfortable plastic chair despondently. He half listened to their conversation while staring at the wall counting the number of tiles over and over again. Just when he thought he could bear to listen to no more of their conversation, a man peeped his head into the lobby and said, "John, the file you were asking about is ready."  
  
"Thanks Tom" he replied as he went to get the file. He handed it to Scully saying, "Dana, would you like to get together for lunch while you're down here?" Scully shot a look back at Mulder and he shrugged.  
  
"Sure John. Mulder and I would like that." John nodded and Mulder stood up to go outside to the car. John pulled Scully by the elbow back.  
  
"Dana, I asked you to lunch, now it's not that I'm trying to exclude Mulder or anything, but you're the one I haven't seen in years, not him." Scully tried to say something and John cut her off. "Please Dana. Just you and me for lunch. I know this great restaurant. It's just off the corner of Northeast and Central." Scully paled, the restaurant John was talking about was the same one Mulder had taken her to the night before. The incredibly romantic, incredibly expensive restaurant the Mulder had taken her to the night before. John had more in mind than a simple friendly lunch.  
  
"I can't John. Mulder and I have a lot to do, and I'd prefer to have him with me at lunch so that we might discuss our case. That is, the reason that we're down here."  
  
"Right. Your socks."  
  
"Not just the socks John. I'm, I'm with someone. And I don't think that he'd like it if I went to lunch with you."  
  
"Its just lunch Dana. I'm not trying to bed you."  
  
"John, I've been to the restaurant that you want to take me, and that's not a friendly meal restaurant. It's one that you take someone that you care about to." Doggett opened his mouth to speak when Mulder ran back in.  
  
"Scully. I just got a call from Mrs. Chapman. All the socks in their house are gone. Now their stockings are disappearing too. And, Cathey had another nosebleed and they had to take her to the hospital." Scully shot John a mock regretful look and followed Mulder out the door. She popped her head back in the door and said "Next time you're in the DC area give me a call and we'll work something out." And with that, she left.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Car  
  
10:29 a.m.  
  
"So?" Mulder asked.  
  
"So what?" Scully asked back.  
  
"When's your lunch with Johnny-boy there?" he asked venomously.  
  
"Never." She calmly replied.  
  
"Why not?" he insensitively asked.  
  
She stared icily out the window as she replied "You know very well why not."  
  
He then realized he had stepped over his bounds. He opened his mouth to apologize several times but nothing came out. In the end, he decided to try a different tactic.   
  
"So, what does the file say?"  
  
She opened the file and started reading, a grin spreading across her face. She triumphantly yelled out "I was right!" and imperceptibly glanced at Mulder to see his reaction.  
  
His ears perked up at the sound of that, but his eyes never left the road.  
  
She took his silence as a signal to expound on her theory.  
  
"Well, when the washing machine monster was mentioned it got me thinking. What if the washing machine really was eating the socks? If the washing machine were dissolving the socks, it could explain why some socks disappear faster than others and why some don't disappear at all."  
  
"How exactly." Mulder asked.  
  
"Well, if it's a particularly new method, then they could have messed up on some socks or made it too fast on others." She stated as though it were the simplest thing in the world, confusing Mulder even more.  
  
"What are you talking about, Scully? You started in the middle without explaining the beginning!"  
  
"Ok, well I was thinking, maybe it's the sock companies. They'd go out of business if people stopped buying socks, right?"  
  
"Right." Mulder said, not quite following her train of thought.  
  
"Well, if they'd make the socks properly then they'd last for a much longer time therefore reducing the amount of socks bought leading to a loss of money. So, what if they made the socks so they'd start to disintegrate or disappear after a certain amount of washes? If they put different amounts of the chemicals on the socks then it would cause a phenomenon like the one we're seeing. They can't get a different amount on each and every sock, so multiple sock disappearances would be expected. And if we only hear about some cases, and not all, then people might think its just them and that its not happening to anyone else, so its not that big of a deal and that they should just buy more socks instead of reporting it to the proper authorities. You following me here Mulder?"  
  
"So, what you're saying is that it's a conspiracy by the sock companies so that they don't lose business."  
  
"That's exactly what I'm saying."  
  
"Hmm." Mulder thought, "But that doesn't explain Cathey's nosebleeds."  
  
"They could be totally irrelevant to the case, Mulder."  
  
"But they could also signify when the aliens are coming to take socks." He interjected.  
  
"Well, that's what we're here to figure out, isn't it?" Scully said as they turned into the hospital's parking garage.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Hospital  
  
10:43 a.m.  
  
Scully and Mulder walked up to the receptionist desk.  
  
"Hi, we're here to see Cathey Chapman." Scully said as she showed the receptionist her badge.   
  
"Right this way."  
  
They were lead to room 2103. Mulder knocked on the door and slowly opened it.  
  
Cathey was laying in the bed, with Rotem sitting on one side of her and Mrs. Chapman sitting on the other.  
  
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Scully inquired.  
  
"I've been better." She responded.  
  
"Why aren't you in school Ro?" Mulder queried.  
  
"Cause I'm here." She retorted, thinking the answer was obvious. Mrs. Chapman smirked and Scully chuckled as Mulder glared at Ro.  
  
Cathey decided to step into the conversation. "We were at lunch when I started to feel really dizzy and like I was going to faint. Ro told me to close my eyes and put my head down for a little, so I did and I started to feel better. I sat up again and was fine until it was about fifteen minutes till lunch was over when Ro handed me a tissue and said 'Your nose.' I wiped my nose, hoping it wasn't what I thought it was, but it was. I was bleeding again. It wasn't a lot at first; it was only a few little drops. I could handle that. It was normal. But when after a few minutes it hadn't stopped, but had started to bleed more, I started to panic. I didn't know what to do. This hadn't happened before."   
  
A few stray tears rolled down Cathey's cheeks as she continued.  
  
"People had started staring and I decided I wanted to wait it out in the bathroom, so I'd at least be able to clean myself off. I got up and started walking towards the bathroom when I fell."   
  
By this time Ro had started crying also.   
  
"I faintly remember Ro rushing over to me and yelling at someone to call an ambulance as she took my hand in hers. The next thing I remember is being in the ambulance, still holding onto Ro's hand while the paramedics did some stuff. And then I don't remember anything until waking up here. And I'm just going to assume that the school called my mom and told her to come to the hospital."   
  
"When I got the call from the school I had assumed the worst. I hurried to the hospital and was told that the necessary tests had already been taken and that I could see Cathey. I walked into the room hoping for the best but fearing the worst. What I saw surprised me. It wasn't very unusual. I saw Cathey and Ro sitting and chatting, like they do at home, staying up all night just talking about anything and everything. The only difference was that we're in a hospital and not at home."  
  
"Do you know what tests they did? Did you get the results?" Scully questioned.  
  
"No, we're still waiting." Mrs. Chapman said nervously.  
  
Scully nodded. "Do you know what could have caused your nosebleed?" Scully asked softly. Both Cathey and Ro shook their heads.  
  
"Of course my allergies, and I don't really know what else." Cathey spoke tiredly. Ro shushed her and Cathey closed her eyes. Ro brushed Cathey's hair off of her forehead. She was super pale, and had very little energy. Telling her story to Mulder and Scully had tired her out.  
  
"Let her sleep for a little while. She had to get up early to go to practice."  
  
"Could something have happened at soccer practice?" Mulder asked. He led Scully over to the chairs by Cathey's bed.  
  
"Well, she had a headache afterwards, but Cathey didn't tell me what happened." Scully nodded and began to consider the possibilities. They sat in silence until the door flew open and AJ and Jay came rushing in.  
  
"We just found out. I was in class and didn't hear the ambulance." AJ ran to stand next to Ro and Jay next to Mrs. Chapman. "How is she?"  
  
"She's okay. She had a nosebleed at lunch and passed out. She lost a lot of blood." Mrs. Chapman explained. "They're doing blood work now. The tests should be back soon."  
  
Everyone waited in absolute silence. The three sisters stood guard over their youngest sibling. Mrs. Chapman turned back to Mulder. He started to ask questions about how she'd come to discover the absence of their socks. Scully's hand had made its way into Mulder's and he squeezed it gently to reassure her of his presence. Just then, the door was pushed open again to reveal the doctor that had handled Cathey's ER admittance.  
  
"Mrs. Chapman? Mrs. Maeve Chapman?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm Doctor Greathouse. I handled your daughter's admittance." Dr. Greathouse shook Mrs. Chapman's hand.  
  
"So you can tell us what's wrong with her?" Maeve Chapman asked worriedly.  
  
"Well, I can tell you what the tests have come back with. There is absolutely nothing permanently wrong with your daughter. She has a minor concussion, which resulted from a blow to the head. Numerous things caused her nosebleed. She took aspirin for her headache, which thinned her blood. That combined with the head injury and physical exertion from soccer practice, along with her normal allergies, caused the nosebleed."  
  
"But she'll be okay? Right?" Ro asked.  
  
"She'll be okay. She needs some time to rest, but she'll be okay."  
  
At this time Scully interrupted, asking to take a look at the results of the tests. Dr. Greathouse looked over to Mrs. Chapman for permission before handing over the file. Scully looked it over, and when she had found the doctor's analysis satisfactory, she handed the file back with a nod of her head.  
  
"A nurse will be with you when visiting hours are over to check your vitals. We'd like to keep you here overnight for observation, is that ok?"   
  
"Yea, that would be fine." Maeve answered.  
  
As the doctor left the room, two girls rushed in. They went over to the bed and each hugged Cathey, asking if she was ok. She reiterated what the doctor had just stated as she tried to make herself more comfortable in the bed. Noticing the two agents sitting there, they whispered, "Who are they?"  
  
"Agent Scully, Mulder," Cathey started "These are two of my friends, Ali and Lexa. Ali, Lexa, Agents Mulder and Scully from the FBI." Before they could ask, Ro stepped in. "They're investigating our sock disappearances."   
  
"You've got to be kidding me!" Lexa exclaimed.   
  
Scully rolled her eyes at this expected comment and she let Mulder field this question.  
  
"Nope, she's not kidding. And speaking of which, Mrs. Chapman, can we speak to you outside?"  
  
"Yea." She said, rising from her position next to Cathey.  
  
They walked into the hallway and closed the door.  
  
"We think we figured out why all your socks have disappeared." Scully stated. "Remember those socks you let us analyze? Well, those results came back this morning. They proved that the sock companies made the socks so they would disintegrate after a certain amount of wears and washes. They were clever though. Each sock was made to disintegrate after a different number, so not all the socks would disappear at once, and these so called "mysterious sock disappearances" would be attributed to something such as the washing machine monster or aliens or something of the sort, thereby making the complaints less believable. It's a very clever scheme actually; one that keeps the sock companies in business."   
  
"That's a lot to take in all at once." Mrs. Chapman said as she seated herself on the floor. She took a few deep, calming breaths before attempting to speak again. "Then it's a good thing I called you in! Now the truth about sock companies will be exposed!"  
  
Scully's cell phone chose that moment to ring, scaring them all. "Scully."  
  
"Dana, its John. Um, the sock samples seem to have disappeared."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I went into the lab to clean it and put everything away after you left with your file, and there was nothing there. It was spotless. As though the lab had never been used."  
  
"Maybe the lab technicians cleaned it?" Scully weakly suggested.  
  
"Believe me, you don't know them. They do not clean up unless they have to."  
  
"Damn it." She softly cursed. "Thanks for letting me know John." She said as she hung up the phone.  
  
"Did you bring the file with you?" Scully asked Mulder.  
  
"No, I think we left it in the car. Why?"  
  
"It's gone then." She replied, frustrated.  
  
"The file? Why would it be gone?"  
  
"This happens every single time! I'm sick of it! Every time we've solved a case, or have come even remotely close to having the answers, all our evidence disappears and we're always back to where we started from!" Scully said as she paced angrily around the hallway.  
  
Mulder raced to the car to check if what Scully had said was true. As she had predicted, the side door was unlocked and the file had been taken out of the car.  
  
"Arg!" He yelled as he kicked the car's tire.  
  
He went back upstairs slowly, sulking in the fact that they had no proof of anything, yet again.   
  
When Mulder finally reached the correct floor, no one was in the hallway. He walked back into Cathey's room to check if Scully had gone back in there. She was there, and so was the Nurse, Paula. She shooed Ali and Lexa out of the room, stating that visitor hours were over. She let family stay, but only until she was done, and then everyone would have to leave so Cathey could get her rest.   
  
Mulder and Scully left the hospital, returning to the hotel.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Hotel  
  
4:17 p.m.  
  
Since they had spent most of the day in the hospital, they decided they needed a break. They arrived at the hotel and went into Scully's room and crashed onto the bed, both of the falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the mattress.  
  
Three hours later, Scully awoke, feeling two eyes staring at her. Her eyes crept open and she spotted Mulder lying next to her, watching her sleep. Rolling on top of him, she gave him a good evening kiss, and then rolled off of him, getting up to use the bathroom.  
  
She walked out of the bathroom and stated "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."  
  
"Ah, a woman after my own heart." Mulder said with chutzpah. Scully laughed and came to sit next to him on the bed. Mulder reached up and pulled her down onto his chest for a slow kiss. Scully's hands played with his tee shirt while they reacquainted themselves with each other. When they broke apart, Mulder ran his fingers over Scully's face. "Am I the reason that you didn't want to have lunch with John?"  
  
"Mulder, you know that you are. John wanted to exclude you and I couldn't do that. I told him I was with someone and he's smart enough to make some inferences about us. Especially after that little display you put on." Scully teased.  
  
"What display?" Mulder feigned innocence. "I think that I acted perfectly within my rights as your partner and your lover, to scrutinize a former acquaintance of yours."  
  
"We weren't involved Mulder. I promise you. We were friends. He wanted to be something more, but I didn't."  
  
"Well, I'm glad that you resisted him. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here with me."  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
  
"Hey Scully?"  
  
"Yeah?" Scully waited for Mulder to say his piece. She hoped that he would give her some insight to how he felt about their longtime relationship. She knew that she loved him deeply. She just wasn't sure how he felt.  
  
"As much fun as this is, food?" Scully wordlessly slid off of Mulder and reached for her shoes. Mulder sat up behind her and pulled Scully into his arms. She stiffened. Mulder kissed her cheek.  
  
"Love you." He whispered in such a soft way, that Scully had to strain to hear him.  
  
"I love you too Mulder." Scully whispered back. She pulled his arms from around her and stood, smiling widely at him. "Come on. I'm ravenous." Mulder held out his hand to Scully in an attempt to get her to help him off the bed. Scully knew what he was doing, but still grabbed his hand. Mulder pulled Scully into his arms once again. She laughed and Mulder kissed her tenderly.  
  
They walked out of the hotel room arm in arm.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Restaurant  
  
7:54 p.m.  
  
"You know Mulder, this is more like it."  
  
"More like what?" Mulder asked taking a bite of his burger.  
  
"More like us. No matter how good last night's dinner was, this is better."  
  
"How so?" Mulder reached across the table to steal a fry off of Scully's plate. She slapped his hand away and took the fry from his fingers. "No fair Scully." Mulder protested.  
  
"Well, for one, we don't need candles and fancy food. Burgers and fries suit us very well. And Mulder, you should have ordered more fries if you wanted more. These are mine."  
  
"Fine." Mulder pouted playfully. "Tomorrow, we'll check on Cathey and go home and have a long weekend."  
  
"Okay. That's fine with me. I'm really exhausted for some reason."  
  
"Well eat up then. I want to you to have your energy." Mulder waggled his eyebrows at Scully.  
  
"And why would that be?" Scully smirked. Mulder slid off of his side of the booth and sat next to Scully. He slid one arm around her shoulders and turned her face to his, not waiting a second before pressing his lips to Scully's. Scully locked one hand around Mulder's head and pulled him closer. Scully was dimly aware that they were still in a public place, where anyone might see them. Reluctantly, she broke away from Mulder.  
  
"Hmm. People might see us." She murmured  
  
"So," Mulder whispered. "We're just two people who're in love and blatantly showing it."  
  
"Obviously." A snort came from the side of them. Scully looked over at their commentator. It was Doggett. Mulder smiled over at John.  
  
"Good to see you again John." Mulder replied, all the animosity gone from his voice.  
  
"You too Agent Mulder." John looked past Mulder to Scully who sat with Mulder's arm around her shoulders, staring off into space. "Hi Dana." Scully turned to face him.  
  
"Hello John." Scully shrugged off Mulder's arm. He looked down at her, hurt, but still pulled his arm away. "Would you like to sit down?"  
  
"No thanks Dana, it looks like I interrupted a few things."  
  
"No. I insist, since we didn't get to have our lunch, sit." John obeyed and sat in Mulder's old spot. Mulder slid away from Scully and motioned that he was going to the bathroom. Scully nodded and started conversation with Doggett.  
  
When Mulder returned a few minutes later, Doggett was nowhere to be seen. Mulder took his original seat across from Scully. Scully smiled at him and motioned for him to sit next to her again.  
  
"No." Mulder refused.  
  
"No? Mulder what are you talking about?"  
  
"Scully, you acted like you were ashamed of me in front of Doggett. If you're ashamed of me then, you're obviously ashamed of me now." Mulder folded his arms across his chest.  
  
"Mulder, I'm not ashamed of you."  
  
She took a deep breath and explained, "It's just that I'm not usually a very demonstrative person, and I just freeze up when there are other people around and looking." Scully reached over and pulled one of Mulder's hands into her own. "Mulder, I love you. This is so new to us, that I almost don't want to share it."  
  
"You want to keep it from everyone."  
  
"No. I just don't know if public displays of affection are something that I can handle at this moment. If people ask, we don't need to deny, just not go around flaunting it no matter how much I want to. Am I making sense here?" Mulder nodded. "Good, now get over here, my fries need mooching."  
  
Twenty minutes later, after Mulder had polished off Scully's fries, and a few slow kisses had been shared, Mulder unwrapped his arm from Scully and stood, holding his hand out to her.  
  
"You read to go Scully?" Scully slipped her hand into his and he pulled her out and into his arms.  
  
"Yeah. I'm ready."  
  
"You wanna drive?" Mulder teased.  
  
"Sure." Scully took the keys from Mulder's pocket and led him by the hand out to the car where she drove them back to the hotel. They stayed hand in hand the entire trip.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Hotel  
  
9:21 p.m.  
  
"This really is a waste of money." Scully stated.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"The fact that we're renting two rooms and only using one of them." She replied as they walked over to her room. Before she could unlock the door, Mulder steered her towards his room.  
  
"There, now we've used both rooms. Not a waste of money." He grinned.  
  
He unlocked the door and they entered, shedding their shoes and coats on the way in.   
  
As the night progressed, they shed the rest of their clothing, and finally fell asleep in each other's sweet embrace.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Hotel  
  
9:43 a.m.  
  
They awoke and dressed, packing quickly so they'd have time to check on Cathey before they had to leave.  
  
Mulder put their bags in the trunk as Scully went to check out of the hotel.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
Hospital  
  
10:27 a.m.  
  
Scully and Mulder stepped off the elevator and walked towards Cathey's room. The doctor walked out of the room as they approached. Entering the room, they saw that the entire family was already there. They were happily talking about their plans for the day.  
  
"I take it the doctor brought good news?" Mulder asked.   
  
"Yea, I'm fine and I'm gonna be released later today. And then we're gonna go ice skating!" Cathey joyfully told them.  
  
"That's great!" an enthusiastic Mulder replied.   
  
The doctor came back in with release forms for Mrs. Chapman to sign. She filled them out and the doctor left the room again. A few minutes later Nurse Paula walked in with a wheelchair for Cathey to sit in until they got to the car.  
  
As Cathey settled into the wheelchair, Scully glanced over her chart, making sure they were doing the right thing by releasing her. Once she was satisfied she put the chart back down and offered to wheel Cathey to the elevator and to the car. The nurse gladly gave the chair to Scully, not wanting to have to leave the floor.  
  
"Just leave the wheelchair by the doors when you're done with it. Someone will come pick it up." Paula said as she exited the room.  
  
They were ready to go and Scully wheeled Cathey out of the room, with the family and Mulder following.   
  
Mrs. Chapman and Mulder went to get their cars when they reached the ground floor, as the others waited.   
  
They said their good byes as the Chapman family went home and Scully and Mulder started the long drive home.  
  
~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~*X*~  
  
The End!!  
  
Let us know what you thought!  
  
LaughsR@prodigy.net and CatheyScully@the-pentagon.com   
  



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